BBC Radio Podcasts from Witness History: Archive 2013
Edith Piaf
The life of the legendary French singer remembered by her friends and lovers
Anti-Shah Demonstrations in Iran
Millions of people took to the streets of Iran's main cities in December 1978.
Prison Camp in WW2 Manila, Philippines
Thousands of foreign civilians were interned when Japanese troops invaded in WW2
The Murder of Dian Fossey
Gorilla expert Dian Fossey was murdered in her cabin in Rwanda on 26 December 1985
Grand Theft Auto
A controversial new computer game designed in Scotland became a surprise hit in 1997
The MP Who Faked His Own Death
British MP John Stonehouse faked his own death in Miami and reappeared in Australia
Murder in the Amazon
Remembering the Brazilian environmental campaigner Chico Mendes, shot dead in 1988
Lockerbie Bombing
In 1988 a bomb, hidden in the hold, exploded when the airliner was above Scotland
The Assassination of Spain's Prime Minister
On December 20 1973, the Spanish PM Luis Carrero Blanco, was killed by a massive bomb.
Indonesia Invades East Timor
Days after declaring independence East Timor was invaded by Indonesia in 1975
The Kidnapping of Frank Sinatra Jr
In December 1963 the 19-year-old son of Frank Sinatra was kidnapped for a ransom
International Space Station
Bob Cabana and Sergei Krikalev were the first on board the International Space Station.
South Africa Wins the Rugby World Cup
When South Africa hosted - and won - the Rugby World Cup in 1995 it unified the country
The Soweto Uprising
In 1976 South African police opened fire on schoolchildren protesting in Soweto.
The ANC's Armed Struggle
In 1961 the African National Congress decided to take up arms against Apartheid
Apartheid in the 1950s
Following the death of Nelson Mandela we remember the system he was fighting against
The Destruction of the Mosque at Ayodhya
In December 1993, Hindu activists demolished a Muslim holy site.
Prohibition in the USA
For 14 years it was illegal to sell alcohol in the USA - prohibition only ended in 1933
Psychiatry and Homosexuality in the USA
How Charles Silverstein challenged the view that homosexuality was a mental illness
Vietnamese Boat People
After the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, over a million people fled the country by boat.
Murder of Churchwomen in El Salvador
In December 1980 three US nuns and a layworker were killed in El Salvador
Portugal Attacks Guinea
Portuguese soldiers raided the independent West African nation of Guinea in 1970
The Tehran Conference of World War Two
In November 1943 Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill all met together to discuss WW2
How Child Road Deaths Changed the Netherlands
The 1970s road safety campaign which changed the face of the Netherlands.
The First Panda in America
In 1936 socialite Ruth Harkness and her guide captured a panda cub and took it to the US
The Trojan Room Coffee Pot
How a preoccupation with coffee became the inspiration for the first webcam in 1993
Making Doctor Who
On 23 November 1963, the first episode of Doctor Who was shown.
Birmingham Pub Bombings
In 1974, bombs exploded at two busy pubs in Birmingham, killing 21 - the IRA were blamed
The Execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa
In 1995, writer Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight Ogoni rights activists were executed in Nigeria
Lee Harvey Oswald in the USSR
Before he shot President Kennedy, Oswald spent two and a half mysterious years in Minsk
The Jonestown Massacre
In November 1978 an American cult leader ordered more than 900 people to kill themselves.
Yemen Civil War
Red Cross doctors tried to help casualties from both sides in Yemen in the 1960s.
Baby Fae and the Baboon Heart Transplant
In 1984 doctors in California tried a revolutionary operation on a two-week-old baby.
Death in the Boxing Ring
In 1982, the boxer Deuk-Koo Kim died of brain damage after a world title fight
Dustbowl Storms in the US
In November 1933, one of the first big dust-storms hit central United States
Armistice Day 1918
On November 11th 1918 at 11am, the guns of World War One finally fell silent.
Canada's Biggest Peacetime Evacuation
In 1979 a train carrying tonnes of dangerous chemicals crashed in Canada
The Death of Dylan Thomas
In November 1953 Welsh poet Dylan Thomas died in New York aged just thirty-nine.
The Green March in the Sahara
In 1975 hundreds of thousands of Moroccans marched into disputed territory in the desert.
Waterford Kamhlaba multi-racial school
In 1963 southern Africa's first multi-racial school opened in Swaziland.
Degenerate Art and the Nazis
In 1937, the Nazis staged an exhibition to ridicule modern art - it was seen by millions
The Samaritans Helpline
In 1953 the first phone helpline for people considering suicide was set up in London
The Assassination of Indira Gandhi
On 31 October 1984, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was shot by her bodyguards
Hurricane Mitch
In 1998 Central America was hit by Hurricane Mitch - more than 18,000 people died
Tokyo Rose - The Most Hated Woman in America
In 1949 Iva Toguri was falsely accused of making Japanese propaganda during World War Two
The Wall Street Crash of 1987
On Black Monday, Wall Street prices fell by a record rate in October 1987
The BBC's First Man in Moscow
In 1963, Erik de Mauny became the first BBC correspondent based in the Soviet Union.
A Heroine of Burundi's Civil War
In 1993, Marguerite Barankitse came to symbolise hope for peace in Burundi's civil war
Beirut Barracks Bombing
In 1983, hundreds died in suicide attacks on American and French bases in Lebanon
Spying for the Stasi
The secret life of Sascha Anderson, an avant-garde poet who informed for the Stasi
The Opening of Sydney Opera House
In 1973 Sydney Opera House finally opened its doors to the public, 10 years late
Death of Grenada's Revolution
The day Maurice Bishop leader of Grenada was killed. Six days later the US invaded
The Scottsboro Boys: A Miscarriage of Justice in the US
In 1931, nine black teenagers were convicted of raping two white girls in Alabama.
Walter Sisulu is Released
In October 1989, anti-apartheid leader Walter Sisulu was freed from jail after 26 years.
The Brighton Hotel Bombing
The day Margaret Thatcher survived a bomb attack in October 1984
Escape from Sobibor Death Camp
Hundreds of Jewish slave labourers staged a revolt in a Nazi death camp in October 1943
16th Street Baptist Church Bombing
Four young black girls were killed in a racist bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Thomas Sankara African Revolutionary
When one of Africa's most celebrated leaders was killed in a coup in Burkina Faso
Josephine Baker - Black American Superstar
In 1925 a young black American dancer became an overnight sensation in Paris
Tunnel Under the Berlin Wall
In October 1964 a group of students helped 57 people escape from East Germany
The Children's Crusade
Thousands of black American children protest against segregation in Birmingham, Alabama
Danish Jews Escape the Holocaust
During WWII, most of the Jews in Denmark evaded Nazi plans to send them to death camps
The Murder of Anna Politkovskaya
The outspoken Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya was murdered in October 2006
Albert Luthuli Receives the Nobel Peace Prize
Chief Albert Luthuli was the first African to win the Nobel Prize for Peace - in 1960
The Betty Ford Center
How a First Lady's struggle with drugs led to the founding of a world famous rehab clinic
Israel's Nuclear Secrets
In October 1986, Mordechai Vanunu revealed Israel's secret nuclear weapons programme
Beverly Johnson - Vogue's First Black Covergirl
It wasn't until 1974 that American Vogue put a black model on its cover for the first time
Black Golfer at the US Masters
How Lee Elder broke one of the last colour barriers in US sport in 1975
Australia's Asylum Stand-off
In 2001, Australia refused entry to more than 400 refugees aboard a Norwegian freight ship
Haile Selassie in Jamaica
Ethiopia's emperor visited Jamaica - the birthplace of the Rastafarian movement - in 1966
Bristol Bus Boycott
How a protest by black activists in 1963 led to the UK's first anti-racism laws
Mao's American Comrade
Mao declares the formation of the People's Republic of China on 1 October 1949
Appeasement
In September 1938, Neville Chamberlain tried to negotiate with Hitler over Czechoslovakia.
The Kinsey Report into Female Sexuality
Sex, 60 years ago: The Kinsey Report revealed all in 1953
Siege of Vukovar
In 1991 the Yugoslav army pounded the Croatian town of Vukova for 87 days
The Death of Paquirri
The fatal goring of the legendary bullfighter Francisco Rivera Pérez in September 1984
Baywatch
Executive producer Michael Berk on the birth of a global hit TV show in September 1989
Re-education in Communist China
Hear from a British man who spent five years being 're-educated' in China in the 1950s
Duke Ellington Plays Afghanistan
The jazz legend Duke Ellington played at a concert in Kabul In September 1963
Anthrax Attacks
In Sept 2001 letters were sent to journalists containing the biological agent Anthrax
The Oslo Peace Accords
In September 1993 a peace agreement was signed between Israel and the Palestinians
Evita's Odyssey
The disappearance of the remains in 1955 of Evita Peron, the revered Argentine first lady
Saving the Tiger
In 1973 PM Indira Gandhi launched a campaign to save the Bengal Tiger from extinction
Military Coup in Chile
On September 11th 1973, Gen Augusto Pinochet ousted the socialist government in Chile
US Airman Shot Down by Syria
In December 1983, a US airman was shot down while attacking Syrian forces in Lebanon
The Attica Prison Riot
In September 1971 prisoners in a high security jail in the US rose up against their guards
HMS Trinidad
George Lloyd, a young English composer, wrote a march for the ship he served on in WWII
Special Operations Executive
During WWII Britain set up a secret organisation to wage war in Nazi occupied Europe
Fleeing from Laos
In 1973 the American war against communism in Laos ended leaving their allies behind
Jack The Ripper
In September 1888, the most famous serial killer in history stalked the streets of London.
Eritrea's Long War
A doctor who took part in Eritrea's 30 year struggle for independence from Ethiopia
Women Murdered in Mexico
In 1993 young women began disappearing in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez.
Aboriginal Strike
The first ever strike by Australian Aborigines to help free them from virtual slavery
I Have a Dream
Martin Luther King made his historic plea for racial equality at the March on Washington
The Sherri Finkbine Abortion Case
How one Arizona couple's campaign for a termination split America in 1962
Krakatoa
In 1883, the Indonesian volcano caused one of the world's biggest disasters
Brazil Protests: Caras Pintadas
In 1992, a huge wave of protests forced President Collor of Brazil from office.
Legionnaires' Disease
In August 1976 more than 200 people developed a mystery illness at a hotel in Philadelphia
The Assassination of Benigno Aquino
On August 21 1983, the opposition leader, Benigno Aquino, was shot dead in the Philippines
Prague Spring
The student who appealed for the world's help when Soviet tanks invaded Czechoslovakia
Saddam Hussein's 'Human Shields'
The British family who were held as 'human shields' in Iraq before the First Gulf War
Stanley Kubrick
Set designer Sir Ken Adam recalls working with the famously difficult director
The Omagh Bombing
In August 1998, 29 people died in a massive car bombing in Omagh, Northern Ireland.
The Battle of the Potato Beetle
In 1950, East Germany claimed American planes were dropping beetles over their fields.
Scientists Flee Nazi Germany
How the rise of Hitler forced great physicists such as Max Born out of 1930s Germany
Conflict in Congo
The Congolese student who saw war come to his small hometown of Uvira
Bombing of Nagasaki
Survivors remember the atomic explosion over the Japanese city in 1945
Burma's 1988 Protests
In August 1988 protests demanding an end to military rule in Burma were met with violence
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
In 1997, a patch of plastic waste was discovered in the middle of the Pacific Ocean
Malaysian Hostage Crisis
In August 1975, Japanese Red Army militants took 53 people hostage in Kuala Lumpur
Gorkhaland
The sisters whose lives were devastated during the campaign for Gorkhaland in India
Ramayan - India's TV Epic
It is 25 years since the final episode of one of India's biggest ever TV programmes
The Disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa
The controversial American union leader, Jimmy Hoffa, was last seen alive on July 30 1975
The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis
In July 1945 hundreds of US sailors were left adrift for days in shark infested waters
IRA Decommissioning
In July 2005 the IRA in Northern Ireland promised to put its weapons out of use.
The End of the Korean War
On July 27 1953 the Korean War came to an end and thousands of prisoners were released
Abducted by Joseph Kony
The woman forced to bear the children of the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army
Alcoholics Anonymous
In the summer of 1935 Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in Akron, Ohio
Black July
In 1983 violence erupted between the Sinhala majority and the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka
The Lillehammer Hit
In July 1973 a Moroccan waiter was shot dead by an Israeli hit-squad in Norway
Escape from the KGB
How Soviet double agent Oleg Gordievsky escaped from under the noses of the KGB in 1985
The Birth of Second Life
It is ten years since the launch of Philip Rosedale's online virtual world Second Life
Freeze
In 1988 a group of students put on an exhibition called Freeze. It changed British art.
The Hong Kong Handover
Former Governor General, Chris Patten, remembers the day the territory returned to China.
Women's Baseball in WWII
In 1943, the first and only professional women's baseball league was launched in the US
Disco Demolition Night
How a disgruntled Chicago DJ hosted an anti-disco event which turned into a riot in 1979
Skylab Falls to Earth
The day when fragments of the US space station Skylab hit an Australian town in 1979
The Death of Thich Quang Duc
In June 1963, a Buddhist monk set himself on fire in central Saigon
Iran Student Protest
The Iranian student who became an unwitting symbol of the anti-government protests in 1999
The Death of Jean Moulin
The day the leader of the French Resistance was killed by German forces on July 08, 1943
Yasser Arafat Arrives in Gaza
When the Palestinian leader was allowed to return from exile to the Gaza strip in 1994
Ludwig Wittgenstein
How the publication of Philosophical Investigations in 1953 revolutionised philosophy
Penguin Rescue
The mission to save thousands of African penguins from an oil spill in July, 2000
Chilean Students Set on Fire
In July 1986 two students were set on fire by Chilean government soldiers
The Battle of Gettysburg
It is 150 years since the Battle of Gettysburg, a turning point in the American Civil War
Iraq's Sectarian Violence
The recent surge in violence in Iraq has echoes of the sectarian conflict in 2006-07
JFK in Ireland
Novelist Colm Toibin recalls US President John F Kennedy's visit to Ireland in June 1963
Smoking and Lung Cancer
It took until the 1950s for researchers to connect smoking with lung cancer
War Requiem by Benjamin Britten
It is regarded as one of the most important pieces in 20th Century English music.
Ultrasound
It's 55 years since a picture of a foetus inside the womb was first published.
The first woman in space
In June 1963 Soviet Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova went into orbit.
Murder in Managua
In June 1979 an American TV reporter was shot dead by government forces in Nicaragua
Rocky Horror Show
It is 40 years since the opening of a comedy musical which would become a cult phenomenon
The Execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
It is 60 years since the American couple were executed for spying
Gay Marriage
The first gay marriage in America took place more than 40 years ago in Minnesota.
The Pentagon Papers
In 1971 one man leaked thousands of pages of secret US government documents to the press.
Post-war Berlin
A child's eye view of life in Berlin in the aftermath of World War II
Nigeria's Lost Election
The election of Chief MKO Abiola 20 years ago, which was annulled by the military
Escape from Alcatraz
In June 1962 three prisoners escaped from the maximum security US jail.
Robert Kennedy's Funeral Train
How huge crowds of Americans mourned Bobby Kennedy after his 1968 assassination.
Stalin's Gulag
Millions of people were sent to brutal labour camps in the USSR under Joseph Stalin
The Oklahoma Bomber
Twelve years ago, Timothy McVeigh was executed for carrying out the 1995 Oklahoma bombing
The Nepali Royal Massacre
Twelve years ago, the Crown Prince of Nepal massacred his family at the royal palace
The Queen's Coronation
Two Maids of Honour remember the crowning of Queen Elizabeth the Second in London in 1953.
The New Deal
Eighty years ago, Franklin D Roosevelt promised to rescue the US from the Great Depression
The Ascent of Everest
How Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tensing conquered the world's highest mountain in 1953.
The Rite of Spring
100 years ago, the premiere of a Stravinsky ballet caused a riot in Paris.
Liberace
A film-maker remembers the flamboyant pianist and entertainer immortalised in a new film.
Israel withdraws from Lebanon
A senior UN official recalls Israel's hasty withdrawl from southern Lebanon in 2000.
Africa United
The leaders of 32 newly-independent African countries met to discuss uniting the continent
The Watergate Hearings
The scandal which lead to President Richard Nixon standing down 40 years ago
The Murder of Aldo Moro
It is 35 years since the Italian Prime Minister, Aldo Moro was found dead in a car in Rome
Protect and Survive
In May 1980 the British government published a booklet on how to survive nuclear war
Dambusters
A crewman's account of the famous British raid on Hitler's dams in 1943.
The Death of Marlene Dietrich
It is 21 years since screen star Marlene Dietrich died in Paris at the age of 90
Announcing an Ethiopian Coup
The journalist who became an unwitting voice against Ethiopian ruler Col. Mengistu
Polish Protests in 1968
As rebellion swept across Europe, Polish students called for democratic change in Poland
The Great Gatsby
Author F. Scott Fitzgerald as remembered by two close personal links
The Arctic Convoys
Allied ships battled arctic storms, bombers and U-boats to ferry supplies to Russia in WW2
FA Cup - The Matthews Final
It is 60 years since England's football legend Stanley Matthews led his team to victory
The Secret US Bombing of Cambodia
In May 1969 the New York Times revealed that US war planes were secretly bombing Cambodia
IRA Hunger Strike
In 1981 the British government was faced with prisoners on hunger strike
The White Collar Art Collectors
In 1992 an ex-postal worker and his wife donated a priceless art collection to a gallery
Pavarotti's UK Debut
On May 7th 1963 Luciano Pavarotti first perfomed on a British stage, in Northern Ireland
Australia's Aboriginal Referendum
In May 1967 campaigning began across Australia to consolidate Aboriginal rights
The death of Hitler
On April 30th 1945 Adolf Hitler killed himself in a bunker beneath Berlin.
The Shooting of Rudi Dutschke
In 1968 German students called for a revolution when their leader Rudi Dutschke was shot
The Ballerina and the Coup
In April 1959 Dame Margot Fonteyn was part of a bizarre plot against Panama's government.
Muhammad Ali and the Draft
How the boxing champion's refusal to go to Vietnam made him a hero to 1960s radicals
The Hitler Diaries Hoax
Thirty years ago newspapers spent millions on what they thought were Hitler's diaries
Pau Casals
The acclaimed musician who became a symbol of Catalan resistance to General Franco
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Jewish fighters in the Polish capital rose up against the German army in 1943
The Khmer Rouge take power
In April 1975 the four-year rule of the brutal Khmer Rouge began in Cambodia.
The funeral of Sir Winston Churchill
In January 1965 Britain held a state funeral for the man who led it through World War Two.
The discovery of LSD
It is 70 years since a Swiss chemist stumbled on the controversial hallucinogenic drug.
The First War in the Air
The story of a young British pilot who survived the world's first war in the air
The Guinea Pig Club
How severely burnt Second World War airmen learnt to overcome their terrible injuries.
The Great Famine in China
When Mao Zedong tried to force an industrial revolution in China millions starved to death
Matabeleland Massacres
In the early 1980s, thousands of civilians were killed in Zimbabwe by the security forces.
James Brown Concert at the Boston Garden
Held 24 hours after the death of Martin Luther King, the gig went ahead peacefully
Howard Hughes
The reclusive American billionaire remembered by one of the few journalists to meet him.
Operation Babylift
As the Vietnam war ended the US tried to fly thousands of orphans out of the country.
The real Peter Pan
A family of real boys inspired JM Barrie to write the story of Peter Pan.
Women and the law in Britain
Over 175 years ago, Caroline Norton began to fight for the rights of married women.
The killing of Archbishop Romero
On 24 March 1980, Archbishop Oscar Romero was shot dead while saying mass in San Salvador.
American prisoners in Vietnam
After their release in 1973, former US prisoners of war began to talk about torture.
Unearthing the Terracotta Army
Discovered by chance by farmers digging a well, the secrets of the Qin Dynasty in China.
Living in Ceausescu's Romania
The communist dictator ran one of the most feared secret police forces in Eastern Europe.
The Profumo Affair
Fifty years ago, a sex scandal threatened to engulf the British government.
Iraq: Ten years on - The capture of Saddam Hussein
In December 2003 the former Iraqi leader was finally caught by American forces.
Iraq: Ten years on - Working for the Americans
How one Iraqi who took a job with the US military, was threatened with death as a traitor.
Iraq: Ten years on - Looting in Baghdad
In April 2003, Baghdad descended into chaos as American troops took control of the city.
Iraq: Ten years on - The invasion of Iraq
John Crawford was part of the US forces that rolled into Iraq in March 2003.
Iraq: Ten years on - The bombardment of Baghdad
It is a decade since the US and its allies began their invasion of Iraq.
Syrian uprising
Two years ago Syria's conflict began with demonstrations in the southern city of Daraa.
Giandomenico Picco - Hostage negotiator
The UN envoy who tried to secure the release of Western hostages in Lebanon.
Marie Stopes, Birth Control Pioneer
In March 1921 Marie Stopes opened Britain's first birth control clinic in London.
The Theft of Charlie Chaplin's Body
In March 1978 thieves stole the body of Charlie Chaplin from a cemetery in Switzerland.
The Tibetan uprising
In 1959 the people of Tibet turned against Chinese occupying forces.
Gay in the US military
In 1975 a US airman announced he was gay, to test the military's attitude to homosexuals.
Viagra
Fifteen years ago a new "wonder" drug was approved for use in the United States.
Skiing in the Swat Valley
One man's mission to bring fun back to the battle-scarred Swat Valley in Pakistan.
Armenia and Azerbaijan
It is 25 years since violence broke out in the city of Sumgait in Azerbaijan.
The Bethnal Green tube disaster
It is 70 years since 173 people were crushed to death at an air-raid shelter in London
Choosing a Pope
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor tells the story of electing Pope Benedict in April 2005
The standoff at Wounded Knee
Forty years ago, American Indian activists staged a protest against the US authorities.
The first World Trade Center attack
How Islamic extremists tried to blow up the Twin Towers eight years before 9/11.
The Theft of the Scream
In 1994 Edvard Munch's famous painting The Scream was stolen from a Norwegian art museum.
The White Rose
Seventy years ago, three German students were executed for protesting against Hitler.
Welsh Dam Attack
In 1963 Welsh nationalists took up arms against the construction of a controversial dam
People Power in the Philippines
How four days of huge protests brought down Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.
The Feminine Mystique
Betty Friedan's book kickstarted the modern women's movement.
The Lost Egyptian Tomb
In 1995, archaeologists in Egypt's Valley of the Kings made a remarkable discovery
Human Shields in Iraq
The British bus driver who took peace campaigners to Iraq ahead of the 2003 invasion
The fall of Singapore
In February 1942 Britain's stronghold in South East Asia fell to the Japanese.
The Algerian Massacres
In the 1990s, the Algerian military was locked in a brutal struggle with radical Islamists
The Murder of James Bulger
The killing of a toddler in Liverpool 20 years ago that shocked Britain
The Last Days of Sylvia Plath
It is fifty years since the suicide of American poet Sylvia Plath
Shergar - the kidnapping
It is 30 years since the Derby winner was abducted from a stud farm in Ireland.
Marcel Proust
The great French writer remembered by one of his friends and by his faithful maid.
"Ghana Must Go"
Thirty years ago, Nigeria expelled up to 2 million African migrants. Most were Ghanaian
Hugo Chavez and the failed coup
In February 1992 a group of Venezuelan army officers staged a coup, among them Hugo Chavez
The battle of Stalingrad
It is 70 years since German troops lost their battle to take the Soviet industrial city.
The funeral of Gandhi
How millions of Indians mourned the death of Mahatma Gandhi
Peter the Great in London
How the young Tsar's visit to 17th Century England inspired him to modernise Russia
The building of the Eiffel tower
Work on the Eiffel Tower started in 1887 but many Parisians were opposed it
Lagos Armoury Explosion
Survivors relive the tragedy of the arms dump explosion in Lagos, Nigeria, 2002
Jimi Hendrix
The legendary guitarist's English girlfriend remembers his early days in 60s London.
Hitler's will
In January 1946 a young British woman was given Hitler's will to translate.
The Capture of USS Pueblo
American spy ship USS Pueblo was captured by North Korean forces forty-five years ago
The Hunger Winter
How millions of Dutch faced starvation at the end of World War Two
The death of Bassel al Assad
It is 19 years since the heir to the Syrian presidency died in a car crash.
The Arrest of Klaus Barbie
Thirty years ago, the former Gestapo chief, Klaus Barbie, was arrested in Bolivia.
Black Stars of Ghana
Striker Osei Kofi on how the Ghanaian football team dominated Africa in the 1960s.
Roe v Wade
In 1973 the landmark decision was made in the US Supreme Court which made abortion legal
Chaim Soutine
It is 120 years since the birth of the great Expressionist painter.
The Tuskegee Syphilis Study
The US government's experiment on a group of African-American men without their knowledge
The Boxing Day tsunami and Aceh
When the earthquake and tsunami of December 2004 hit Indonesia, over 130,000 people died.
Festival in the Desert
In 2001 a festival held in the Sahara desert launched Tuareg music on the world scene
Tito on Vis
In 1944 the Yugoslav partisan leader found sanctuary on a tiny island in the Adriatic.
Johnny Cash plays Folsom Prison
It is 45 years since the Country and Western star played his first gig in a jail.
Operation No Living Thing
In January 1999, a combined rebel force invaded the capital of Sierra Leone, Freetown.
Donald Campbell's Fatal Crash
In January 1967 the record-breaking driver was killed at the helm of his jetboat Bluebird
Waiting for Godot
How Samuel Beckett's existentialist masterpiece revolutionised the theatre 60 years ago.
The Keeling Curve
Meticulously recorded levels of CO2 in the atmosphere show how our climate is changing
Donald Woods flees South Africa
It is 35 years since the South African newspaper editor was forced into exile.